4 Best DJ Turntables of 2023

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As a DJ, you’re constantly faced with the challenge of eliminating feedback and disruptive vibrations. This is why our choice of the best DJ turntables focuses on reducing unwanted noise as a critical factor.

So, it comes as no surprise that Technics SL-1200MK7 made it to our number 1 spot. It has all the features DJs absolutely need. Things like pitch control, torque adjustment, and reverse play are critical for a polished performance.

We also did our best to strike a balance between affordability and your most desired features. So, let's dive into our choices of the best DJ turntables for 2023.

Best DJ Turntables

1. Overall Best DJ Turntable – Technics SL-1200MK7 Direct Drive Professional Turntable

SPECS

• Motor Type: Direct Drive
• Speeds: 33, 45, and 78 RPM
• Pitch Control: ±8%, ±16%
• Platter: Die-cast Aluminum

The Technics range has a well-deserved reputation for producing quality turntables. The MK7's direct drive offers excellent torque, so you get precise and consistent rotation speeds.

With the ability to switch between different speed settings, you’ll be able to play a wide variety of vinyl records. This enhances your performance with perfect compatibility with a wide range of music genres.

To adjust playback speeds, you need flexible pitch control. The ±8% / ±16% will have you blending tracks seamlessly and beatmatching like a pro. This is critical to maintaining dancefloor energy levels.

The turntable accurately adjusts tempo up and down so that you can match beats for smooth transitions. You’ll enjoy the quality pitch fader controls, too.

Minimal vibrations help to ensure you get accurate playback. This die-cast platter gives you a nice solid surface for your records to sit on. You won’t have to worry about any unwanted resonance or vibrations affecting the audio signal.

You can connect your turntable to a mixer or audio interface via the dual RCA stereo jack. This gives you a reliable connection that is compatible with the most commonly used audio equipment.

The Technics SL-1200 MK7 has all the features to ensure that you will deliver a captivating, high-quality performance every time.

2. Best Beginner DJ Turntable – Pioneer DJ PLX-500

SPECS

• Motor Type: Direct drive turntable
• Speeds: 33, 45, and 78 RPM
• Pitch Control: ±8% range
• Platter: Aluminum

For beginners, a direct-drive turntable provides great torque and stability. This ensures that the platter maintains a consistent, precise rotation.

You can perform scratching, back-cueing, and other advanced techniques, ensuring that this turntable will perform well every time.

You’ll get a quick start and stop times so that you don’t have to worry about lag when you require immediate responses during your performances.

For a beginner-friendly turntable, the Pioneer DJ PLX-500’s ±8% range pitch fader control gives you a high level of playback speed adjustment. It ensures that your beatmatching and track mixing will be seamless and professional.

There’s nothing worse than the stylus skating during a performance, so the 9-inch, S-shaped tonearm is a great addition.

It offers improved tracking and great control over the stylus. You can be confident that your record manipulation, cueing, and mixing will be precise and accurate.

Moving magnet cartridges have a reputation for excellent trackability and sound quality. The pre-installed cartridge on this pioneer turntable gives you a hassle-free solution for a quick setup.

Along with the MM cartridge, the turntable has a built-in correction preamplifier. This removes any worries about getting your amplification and equalization spot on. It cuts equipment costs as you don’t need any additional external preamplifiers.

3. Best Budget Turntable – Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT

SPECS

• Motor Type: Automatic Belt-drive Turntable
• Speeds: 33 and 45 RPM
• Pitch Control: N/A
• Platter: Aluminum

If you’re on a tight budget, the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT is a great piece of DJ gear that won’t break the bank.

It offers many of the same features as the Audio-Technica AT-LP140XP but with some significant advantages.

It has a belt-drive system that provides consistent playback and accurate tracking of vinyl records.

The Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connectivity are built-in, so you can stream your vinyl records wirelessly to Bluetooth headphones or speakers. With the USB 2.0 port, you can connect the turntable to your computer for recording or archiving vinyl records.

This Audio-Technica turntable also supports aptX codec compatibility for Bluetooth streaming. That’s a great feature, as it ensures high-quality audio transmission and improved sound performance. It’s much better than the standard SBC codec.

The anti-resonance platter is a durable, die-cast aluminum disk that helps to reduce resonance and any unwanted vibrations during playback. You’ll enjoy the resulting clear sound reproduction without any disturbing vibration.

The turntable comes with a built-in phono preamp. This makes it compatible with a wide range of audio systems.

When matched with the integral dual moving magnet cartridge and 0.6-mil conical stylus, you can deliver a coherent sound presentation with awesome-sounding bass and smooth-as-silk treble for scratch DJs.

4. Best DVS Turntable – Reloop RP-8000 MK2

SPECS

• Motor Type: Hybrid direct-drive
• Speeds: 33, 45, and 78 RPM
• Pitch Control: ±8%, ±16%, ±50%
• Platter: Aluminum Die-cast

The Reloop RP-8000 MK2 Serato-compatible turntable has a hybrid direct-drive with a quartz-controlled direct-drive motor. 

This allows you to produce a professional performance with smooth speed transitions. With the adjustable torque, you can customize the feel for a unique, stress-free performance.

The onboard MIDI controls are compatible with Serato DJ and Native Instruments Traktor. This facilitates the digital vinyl system with the Trax encoder, allowing you to effortlessly scroll through your playlists, load tracks, and adjust levels.

It helps to reduce your workload and helps you to adjust levels seamlessly.

We love the 8 drum pads with the Cue, Loop, Sample, and Slicer modes. It gives you great hands-on control. With the turntable Link mode, you can daisy-chain up to 4 turntables via the USB.

If you’re worried about pitch control and beat matching, then breathe a sigh of relief. The RP-8000 MK2 comes with ±8%, ±16%, and ±50% pitch fader adjustment. This allows for precise beat matching.

The 0.02% resolution pitch control provides you with tight and painless mixing, and the reverse button adds a great performance option. You also get a pitch display that doubles as a bpm counter so that you can accurately match beats.

As far as connectivity and convenience are concerned, the Serato DJ Pro integration and pre-mapped support for plug-and-play functionality simplify your setup.

All-in-all, it’s a great DJ turntable if you’re looking for a top-quality DVS type.

Best DJ Turntables Buyer's Guide

Put a couple of DJs in a room, and they’ll spend hours discussing what constitutes the best DJ turntables.

But with all biases aside, here’s what we think you should look at when choosing DJ turntables in 2023.

Drive Type

Direct-drive motor DJ turntables offer high torque and quick start/stop times. This is crucial for scratching and back-cueing accurately. However, a belt drive provides a smoother rotation, but it comes at the cost of slower start times.

Direct-drive DJ turntables are also generally more durable and can withstand heavy use and DJ techniques. Direct-drive turntables often come with a reverse play feature. This allows you to play records backward for creative effects.

For home use or if you’re budget-conscious, belt-driven turntables produce less motor noise as the motor is isolated from the platter. The belt absorbs vibration, giving you a much smoother rotation and improving sound quality.

Belt-driven turntables are generally more affordable when compared with direct-drive models.

So if you’re a beginner or casual DJ, then belt drive turntables make a lot of sense. However, direct-drive motor turntables are a better option if you spend a lot of time at gigs.

Pitch Control

It’s best to buy DJ turntables with a wide range between ±8% to ±16% pitch control. The greater flexibility will help to improve beatmatching and mixing. This is especially true when matching different genres of music.

You’ll also be able to match the beats of different tracks more accurately. Quality performances demand seamless transitions, and maintaining a consistent tempo helps to keep the dance floor's energy high.

For added creativity, slowing down or speeding up tracks to create build-ups, drops, or dramatic effects is much easier if you have the flexibility. This all goes to make your performances unique and enhances the overall effect.

When playing vinyl records, you’ll notice that they have slight variations in playback speed due to manufacturing discrepancies or wear.  A turntable with a wider pitch control range allows you to compensate for these variations.

This makes your performance more consistent and allows for accurate mixing.

Tonearm

The tonearm needs to have sturdy construction. If it is well-designed, the tonearm helps to reduce resonance and offers more accurate tracking ability.

Most DJ turntables have tonearms that are either S-shaped or straight. A high-quality, well-designed tonearm will offer you accurate tracking in vinyl grooves. It will help to maintain consistent contact between the stylus and the record, which minimizes distortion.

It also helps to preserve sound quality during playback.

The move to S-shaped tonearms is a result of their superior tracking ability. They offer you better anti-skate control and reduce the chances of the stylus skipping across the record. This is an essential quality to perform scratching and other intricate DJ’ing maneuvers.

Straight tonearms are generally preferred by audiophiles as they allow for accurate and transparent sound reproduction. Straight tonearms also minimize tracking errors and distortion. This makes them ideal for critical listening and accurate music playback.

As a DJ, it’s best that you avoid using straight tonearms if you favor heavy scratching or aggressive techniques. Straight tonearms are more susceptible to skating, requiring higher tracking forces.

This increases stylus wear and can damage your records during intense performances.

USB Connectivity

With many turntables now having the option of connecting to your computer, a USB port is a popular feature. It also offers a quick connection to a DJ controller.

The USB output lets you connect your turntable to a computer and digitally record your vinyl collection. It also allows you to perform real-time digital mixing using DJ software.

It is a convenient and flexible method to easily integrate analog and digital formats in a performance.

With extra features like built-in Bluetooth, wireless audio streaming, adjustable pitch range, and advanced MIDI controls, turntables are now able to seamlessly integrate with DJ software.

Look for options like USB output and Bluetooth when you’re browsing for your next turntable, as they can enhance the versatility and capabilities of your DJ turntable.

Cartridge and Stylus

On the plus side, Moving Magnet (MM) is more common and easier to replace. However, moving coil (MC) cartridges offer better sound quality but are more sensitive and require careful handling.

High-quality, well-designed cartridge and stylus combinations will give you accurate sound reproduction. They’ll capture the nuances and details of the music, delivering clear highs, defined midrange, and tight bass.

This allows you to hear and mix tracks with greater precision.

So, MM cartridges are the most common combinations DJs use as they’re durable and affordable. They’re also compatible with a wide range of turntables.

You’ll get a good balance between quality sound and DJ-specific requirements. They’re suitable for most genres of music and most DJing styles.

Unless you’re an audiophile looking for superior sound and finer detail retrieval, avoid them. Their more refined output comes at a price. They’re expensive and require specialized phono preamps due to their lower output.

Build Quality and Durability

The best DJ turntables are robust, with a solid plinth, heavy platter, and well-engineered components. We advise choosing a turntable made of high-quality materials to ensure a durable and vibration-free experience.

Look for a turntable that is constructed of heavy metal or with heavy-duty plastic components.

When you consider that your turntable has to withstand transportation to gigs, heavy vibration during performances and during setup, and potential bumps and scrapes, rigged construction makes sense.

You want a rigged, heavy chassis with a reinforced platter. The tonearm assembly must be secure and solidly built. You’ll experience fewer vibrations, resonance, and mechanical problems that may affect your performance and the life of the turntable.

Your turntable should feature a high-torque drive as well as precision bearings. Also, check that the switches and buttons are rugged and solid when operating them. You also want a reliable, high-quality pitch control system.

Look for a durable cartridge mounting system and solidly reinforced connections. While these are sometimes hard to distinguish, DJ-focused designs like the ones in our selection above are a good start.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do people still DJ with turntables?

Many DJs still use turntables, as it is what they started on and are comfortable with. However, the move to digital has resulted in a swing away from vinyl. You can purchase hybrid systems that combine the best of both worlds.

What record players do DJs use?

DJs have a wide choice of turntables, with the Technics SL 1200 topping our list. Other quality turntables include the Pioneer DJ PLX-500, the Reloop RP-8000 Mk2, and the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT.

Why do DJs use two turntables?

Each DJ has their own preference that is adapted to suit their needs. A basic 2-turntable setup attached to a DJ mixer is popular as it allows the DJ to create transitions between records and create awesome effects that wouldn’t be possible with just a single turntable.

Conclusion

When selecting a DJ turntable in 2023, several important factors must be considered. The best turntables reduce unwanted noise and vibrations so that you can create a polished, professional performance.

We recommend the Technics SL-1200MK7 as it stands out as the best DJ turntable currently on the market.

It offers pro features like pitch control, torque adjustment, and reverse play.

But if you’re a beginner, then we can’t recommend the Pioneer DJ PLX-500 highly enough as a great entry-level option.

When choosing your DJ turntable, make sure that you carefully consider the drive type, pitch control variability, as well as the tonearm, cartridge, and stylus setup. Even if you're on a budget, turntables like the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT and Audio Technica AT LP140XP are great options.

Choose a well-built, durable turntable that will pay you back by helping you deliver captivating, high-quality performances for many years.